This invention relates to a low temperature fired glass-ceramic system and a method of making same, and more particularly to components that are made with a low firing glass formulation that is mixed with a ceramic blend containing baria, titania and a rare earth oxide.
Conventional ceramic compositions must be fired to maturity at relatively high temperatures - above 2,250.degree.F. When a multilayered capacitor employing a high temperature ceramic is formed, the electrodes must be high melting and inert under the capacitor forming conditions. Palladium, one of the platinum group metals employed as the electrode material in this type of a capacitor unit, presently sells for about $105.00 per troy ounce. If the capacitor firing temperature can be reduced significantly, without greatly sacrificing capacitance per volume, then the less expensive electrode materials such as silver, which sells for about $4.85 per troy ounce, or silver-palladium alloys can be employed.
Prior art attempts at overcoming this problem have met with limited success. Such success has come however with some sacrifice in dielectric constants and/or with a rather narrow range of temperature coefficients.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to produce a low firing temperature ceramic body that can utilize a relatively inexpensive electrode material and possess characteristices suitable to electrical components.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a low firing temperature ceramic body that has a rather wide range of temperature coefficients and relatively high dielectric constants.